Independent Law journalists report on legal news for consumers, litigants & Scotland's legal community including features on justice, access to justice, law reform, the judiciary, politics & in-depth investigations, analysis and commentaries on legal related issues.

Monday, February 26, 2007

A picture is worth a thousand words - Images of fraud reveal corruption & deceit by lawyers & accountants in the Scottish Borders

It's always good to put a face to a crook - as an old retired Policeman friend of mine says ... and to be sure, a 'big wheel' in the Roxburghshire Bar Association has obliged, by sending me a picture of the infamous Norman Howitt - the accountant who was executor of my late father's estate, and not content with ruining that, he decided to steal my mothers money too.

Norman Howitt, Chartered Accountant, JRW Group Galashiels :

To my surprise, a well known Borders lawyer has broken ranks and sent me a big fat file on Norman Howitt and his firm, Welch & Co, Accountants - where there seem to have been a few problems with clients swept under the carpet .. in true tradition Howitt style.

In fact, Howitt seems to have a few sidelines as well as his main business as an Accountant, all the worse for the poor people of the Borders sadly ... where rip off after rip off is the norm. I certainly wouldn't be trusting a man who stole a pensioner's state pension book, bank book & tried to take the rest of her assets, not to mention causing the occasional client to go bankrupt .... and I will show you some of what I mean the following images of fraud, deception and greed ...

You can see why I don't care much for Norman Howitt in this next picture, which is of my mum's pension book, which Norman Howitt stole for himself.

Bit odd that one, isn't it ? An accountant, stealing an old age pensioner's state income book ? garnishing it for his own custody ? How many accountants keep clients pension books for themselves - and who at the Benefits Agency handed over the pension book in the first place ?

What, pray tell, could Howitt's defence be on that one ? Something like perhaps " Oh, m'lord, I desperately needed an elderly woman's pension book to keep by my bedside ..."

Bit sick, isn't it ? .. and even worse ... some bent official at the Benefits Agency in Galashiels gave Mr Howitt my mum's pension book - no strings attached ! .. then covered up the whole thing when enquiries were made as to what happened to it. Could it be a few palms were greased by Mr Howitt on this one ?

No wonder the lawyer who sent me a batch of files on Mr Howitt's antics for other poor clients, says Howitt is now known to some as "Pension Book Howitt" .. after what he did to my mum. Do you know any accountants, or indeed, other 'so-called' professionals such as lawyers & the like, who confiscate their clients pension books ? Answers in the comments section please.

Norman Howitt's greed didn't stop there though .. oh no ... it got much worse .. just look at these next images of a bank book belonging to my mother ... where, again, Norman Howitt confiscated the Bank book for himself (after setting up the account in the first place) and it was then systematically drained over a few weeks, until my very tearful & upset mum broke down in the house and told me she was being robbed blind by Howitt and a long lost relative, Susan Begley, who was about to go bankrupt & saw my mum as an easy target to con 15,000 plus as much more as she could get - all with the blessing of Norman Howitt.

It gets worse of course - much worse. Not content with taking my mum's pension book and bank accounts, Norman Howitt decided to take everything she had, and create a secret trust which he would manage himself, and of course, force my mum to pay him for doing so, all done in collaboration with my mother's crooked lawyer Nigel Hall of Haddon & Turnbull Solicitors, Hawick. Here are copies of the secret trust documents which were drawn up by Norman Howitt to keep control of my mum's money for himself .... :

You might be wondering how on earth Norman Howitt was able to do all this, and how my mum appointed him to represent her affairs. Well, as you can see from this next letter, which my mum told me she had to write out from a typed letter which was put in front of her to copy, she was forced by her niece, one Mrs Susan Begley, of Charlesfield, StBoswells, Scottish Borders, & Norman Howitt to write and sign the letter - without a witness or consultation with anyone, appointing Howitt and Welch & Co Accountants - Norman Howitt's company, as her agents. The most important condition of this signing, was, that the whole thing was to be kept secret from me !

Now, one might think that's a bit strange, my mum appointing Norman Howitt as her agent .. because Norman Howitt was executor of the estate of my father, who my mum had obtained a divorce from in 1989 .. so how could the executor of my late father's estate also represent my mother, who had a claim on my father's estate ? ... bit of a conflict of interest there one might say ? .. well .. yes .. but as you can see, going back to the terms of the secret trust deed which Norman Howitt set up for his own control - he was obviously hell bent on keeping every single penny of my late father's estate for himself - not allowing me, my mum or anyone to have a claim or secure any inheritance on it .. and my mum was simply used as an excuse to obtain full control over the money & estate for his own ends .. along with of course, the ends of crooked lawyer Andrew Penman, who knew every detail about this extensive con for some time ... We now come to a letter which Norman Howitt, Susan Begley, and my mother's lawyer, Nigel Hall, who saw a great benefit to himself in what Norman Howitt & Begley were proposing, forced my mum to sign, again without consultation to anyone else, and under tight condition of secrecy, instructing that any money my mum receive, be given direct to her con artist relative, Susan Begley.

Now, there's a problem with this letter as you can see - a fairly major problem ... THE DATE. If you co back to the handwritten letter my mum was forced to sign appointing Norman Howitt and Welchs Accountants as her agents .. you will see the date on that letter is 30.10.1991 but the typed letter which requires that my mums money be given direct to her con artist niece, Susan Begley (a close friend of Norman Howitt by now) .. has a date of "April 1990" which would make that 17 months earlier. It seems the incompetence of faking files & documents & arranging the secret theft of much of my mum's money grew even more of a strain for Norman Howitt, Susan Begley and crooked lawyer Nigel Hall, because we now come to a letter typed by Nigel Hall, dated 20th February 1992, confirming that the payment of 15,000 had been made to Susan Begley (Mr & Mrs James Begley).

So what he have here folks, is a rather complicated embezzlement of my mum's money, by a crooked accountant, a crooked lawyer, and a long lost niece who was on the verge of bankruptcy .... and each of the players certainly seemed to enjoy their part to the hilt - they certainly profited from it extensively. Norman Howitt, of course, got off with not even a slap on the wrist from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, because as you can see from the investigation of my complaint against crooked Howitt's activities, the Director of Legal Services for ICAS - Tom McMorrow, covered the whole thing up in his response to my complaint.

Funnily enough, there is no mention in McMorrow's investigation of Howitt's stealing of my mum's pension book, bank book & the secret trust .. as well as a few other things, but Tom McMorrow is well used to covering up for crooked accountants, so that's no surprise at all. If you think that's bad ... remember Norman Howitt also filed false reports with Lothian & Borders Police at Wilton Hill, Hawick to try and cover up the fact he had stolen my late father's car and sold it to a friend ... which I wrote about here : Complaining against a lawyer ? You should expect a knock from the Police .. and even worse was to come ....

When my mum died in tragic circumstances, through hospital negligence, Norman Howitt, Andrew Penman, and the Bosses at the Law Society of Scotland thought they had won the lottery

.

Norman Howitt was busy celebrating with crooked lawyer Andrew Penman that the death of my mum would take such a toll on me, betting that I would also die, and that would be the end of their problems. They were of course, wrong.

So, Norman James Howitt, Chartered Accountant, is still at large, according to my legal source from the Borders, ripping off clients again ... and has worked his way into a Directorship of the well known Eildon Housing Association in the Borders, and is also a Board member of the Borders College in Galashiels . Norman Howitt is also an official with Scottish Building - where he can be contacted to recommend building companies for work.

You can all see why I don't really care much for Norman Howitt, or these crooked lawyers such as Andrew Penman, Nigel Hall, and the rest. Howitt wanted me dead. He still does, because he hates me publicising this story on what he did and got away with. He lied to the Police, he lied to his own regulatory body, ICAS, he lied to clients, and he lied to everyone who asked him what he had done. He is definitely a dangerous person, a liar, and a thief, and be warned - he will do the same to anyone, as he did to my family, and preying on the elderly, as he did with my poor mum, came very easy to him.

This is all, sadly, just another example of how a fraudster can get away with fraud ... as Norman Howitt certainly seems to done .. but its always good to put a face to a crook, as my old retired Policeman friend says .... and it's good to publish what that crook did .. just incase others fall to the same fate ... and maybe, just maybe, it might work to get rid of the way in which crooked accountants fiddle complaints against other crooked accountants ... as happened here.

72 comments:

I can only guess at the torment your poor mother was going through here, Peter.

Clearly there was an organised attempt to gain control of both your parents finances, by Howitt, who seems to have been determined that no one except himself get the money.

The letter of appointment for Norman Howitt's firm of "John J Welch and company", is so obviously coerced, and out of synchronisation with earlier letter dated April 1990 that no one at this firm, or many others I know, would have accepted it as a letter of appointment.

The terms of the Trust Deed are somewhat unbelievable. I am amazed Mr Howitt thought he would get away with it once you found out.

You haven't mentioned Mr Penman much, but if I were you Peter, I would be looking at the reason the estate of your late father took so long to administer - and I think the answer to that one lies with Mr Penman either being told to, or, on his own, delaying the winding up process so that Mr Howitt's scheme could be put into action.

Tom McMorrow's letter of 28th January 1998 fails to mention any of this, conveniently for the institute.I'm sure he was well aware of this, as he is supposed to be good at his job, but obviously felt it best kept secret from yourself.

Honestly Peter, I don't see what can be done here now.

Mr Howitt has certainly got away with a very complex and well put together fraud.The Police at Hawick certainly have some explaining to do on this one, where I think all the participants should have been charged with one thing or another.

I agree with 'poirot on the letter your mother allegedly 'wrote' appointing Mr Howitt as her agent.It reminds me of someone writing with a gun to their head.He must have been desperate to get his hands on all the money.

It's amazing what people will believe. It is so much harder to believe the nonsense posted on this website by a clearly bitter man with nothing better to do than it is to see quite clearly that this case has been dealt with by so many public bodies there is no way any of it can be true. You're all bonkers, in fact why am I even reading this crap. I'd hoped this site might be balanced journalism about a serious issue, instead it's full of non-sensical unsubstantiated bile.

Ah, upset over posting Mr Howitt's picture are we ? and all those irrefutable documents proving he is a thief, a liar, and criminal ? .. but your response is typical of those who defend the crooked professionals of our society when faced with the real evidence.

Well, it's a good thing people believe the documentary evidence to this, and see just how much of a cover up was done on Howitt's desperate attempt to keep all the money for himself - even stealing my mum's pension & bank books, faking up accounts, and lying to the Police.

So much for your 'public bodies' ... ICAS covered up the false statements to the Police as well as the documents posted in this article ... doesn't say much for Tom McMorrow, ICAS's Chief Counsel, does it ...but considering his history .. well ...

Howitt & Welch & Co are still crooks, the evidence is there to prove it .. and plenty more to come.

Oh dear, you seem to have upset some of Mr Howitt's supporters, considering their choice of article for comment.Not surprising, given what you said and the evidence posted, which is very far from unsubstantiated.

I wonder how Mr Howitt would fair in Court if he were charged with fraud against your mother & your father's estate.Ask yourself, would a jury believe the evidence you have ? I believe that would be a "Yes", and obviously many people do, after reading how a qualified Chartered Accountant, with a chequered, untrustworthy history of negligence & bad behaviour, treated an elderly woman & mother of the son of his deceased client.

I see a clear trend of your critics, Peter, which one of your friends at the Scotsman also pointed out - the only line of defence against you is to attack your character or your aims, as the evidence of their actions is indesputable. Attacking a victim is their weakness, as you have demonstrated time & again in your postings, which has even made you friends in the profession - more than you know !

Howitt is a crook and should be behind bars for what he did to my mum and my family and I'm not bitter, I'm disgusted that no one did anything about it, when I followed all the procedures I had to, to make a complaint.

All ICAS did was cover up Howitt's crimes as you can see from Tom McMorrow's 'report'.

#Border Bairn

Yes, it's the same guy. I remember he had his small office in that narrow street as you go into Melrose, after he had to leave James Rosie & Co.

I also remember the arguements Howitt had with Jimmy Walker who was the senior partner at James Rosie, and how bad they rated him. Howitt came begging to my dad for business and he foolishly was taken in by him. As you can see, what a disaster that was. Howitt is just a crook, and looks like this was his mission from the very start, to ruin my family.

If you want to post the papers around the Borders, that's fine. There's plenty more if you want to email me.

One of the sickest reports Ive ever read.Howitt should be in jail forever for what he did to your mum.He is a real shit and noone should trust him or his companies with their money.A real shit and a crook.Whats his explanation to the cops for how he took your mums pension/bank books and all that trust thing where he gets all the money himself ?A REAL CROOK EVERYONE WATCH OUT FOR NORMaN HOWITT A REAL CROOK WHO TARGETS OLD PEOPLE FOR MONEY

I was amazed to read all of this on Norman Howitt and called a friend to tell him of it.It turns out he knew about this blog and all these papers on what Howitt did to your mother.

I certainly won't be trusting Welchs or Howitt with any of my financial business, or Stormonth Darling in Kelso.

I hope you get some justice over this Mr Cherbi.It's a disgrace that people like Howitt can get around in public life with a veneer of respectability but who at heart are crooks, and as you say, quite evil in what they do to people.

This goes on all the time lawyers and accountants ripping off old people but that part about Howitt taking your mothers pension book is just sick.VERY suspicions about those letters your mother had to sign too.Who would accept that handwritten one except a crook who was trying to cover his tracks.Clearly they were out to rip your mother off from the very start and that Begley woman has a lot to answer for too.

Oh the Borders is it ? They are all bloody thieves down there robbing everyone they can so no surprise they robbed your mum too.Great story though,Howitt gets your mums relative to make her sign a paper giving him control over all her stuff then he takes it for himself.Was the £16000 the reward for her efforts and what more did she get ?Who else was paid to cover all this up ?Why didn't the cops get off their backsides and charge them or did they get a handout too ?

I think what Howitt did to your mother probably caused her stroke.She must have been under a great deal of pressure from them to sign over all her money to Howitt and his friends.

What about that relative of yours too, did she put thumbscrews on your mum to get her to write that letter ? It looks like the kind of thing a hostage is forced to read in front of the cameras of their kidnappers.

Bloody disgrace and time this was all brought out in the open and sick Howitt thrown in jail where he belongs.

This man should be in jail for what he did to your mother.As for this DrMcMorrow he should join him in the next cell.Just reading that letter on the complaint shows how these crooks close ranks to protect their own.

Just to let you know that this Mr Norman Howitt and his company of Welch & Co have merged with James Rosie from Galashiels to form the JRW group. You might want to update your details on them to warn any potential client they could fall victim to Mr Howitt as your mother did. Their website is here http://www.jrwca.com

From the JRW site on Mr Howitt :

Norman J. Howitt - Joint Senior Partner* Extensive commercial experience, giving advice to a wide range of clients. Client portfolio includes charities and also has a special interest in the construction industry. External positions include board membership of Borders College.* Qualifications: Member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.* Hobbies: Rugby, Golf & Walking

Oh dear, they forgot to include ripping off people in the man's hobbies.

Another picture of this Howitt here - http://www.galashiels.bordernet.co.uk/jrwgroup

I know those people "Begley" they live in Charlesfield near St Boswells.Piccie here for your pleasure of them in Portugal on holiday.http://www.bebo.com/PhotoAlbumBig.jsp?MemberId=4735530120&PhotoAlbumId=5916490758&PhotoId=5916603252Living it up on all that money they stole from your mum?I wonder what else they've been up to and if they did same to others in the borders?

Yes thats them.Amazing find.It was those two who are mentioned here :http://www.flickr.com/photos/petercherbi/399398525/and here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/petercherbi/399398493/

and who bled my mother of her money, after Susan met with Norman Howitt and arranged the whole thing, as you can see from the documents in the article.

Susan had to find someone else to con money out of, as her own mother died in the mid 1970's, allegedly from suicide due to family problems and I suppose that is one of the reasons she turned to target my mum for money.Mr Begley is no angel either - plenty to tell about him.

In response to emails and comments on this story, the "Mrs Susan Begley" which appears on the letter addressed as "Crailing", who demanded & received large sums of money from my mother through involvement with Norman Howitt, is the same "Mrs Susan Begley" who resides at Charlesfield, near St Boswells.

A comment on this story identified the following picture as Mrs Begley :http://www.bebo.com/PhotoAlbumBig.jsp?MemberId=4735530120&PhotoAlbumId=5916490758&PhotoId=5916603252but I am now informed from a comment, the photographs identifying Mr & Mrs Begley, are located here :

I can also confirm that no money was ever paid back to my mother by the Begleys or Norman Howitt and as soon as the Begleys were able to con my mother into handing over the money, they dumped her and never contacted her again after their disgusting con against a vulnerable old lady was discovered. Similarly Norman Howitt tried to cover up his involvement in trying to secure all my mother's assets for his own control.

For the avoidance of any doubt, I have received further information and documents on this case, which are yet to be published. Obviously Mr Nigel Hall, my mother's lawyer at the time, wants to save his own skin, at the expense of Norman Howitt and Susan Begley and he sent me considerable detail on what had transpired. Those documents and more will be released in a further article on this matter, in the hope it will act as a warning to the elderly to beware of people who are really just out to con old folks, like my mother was conned.

Make no mistake, I have had extensive comments on this story mailed to me, and how disgusted people are with what the Begleys did to my mother.

I assume that is only natural, that people are disgusted by how an elderly woman was conned out of tens of thousands of pounds by people out for their own gain and motive, with what appeared to be a plan since April 1990 to take all of my mother's money away for themselves.

However, if there are any threats, intimidation, or anything from the identified people and their friends, who did this to my mum, I will let the tabloids tackle the story, and the Police - and there will be much wider coverage of those involved, many questions to ask and answer, including all of the past, and what happened to Susan's own mother, if that is what people want. I am certainly up for it, and will be handing these documents and more to the newspapers at my discretion.

This article must be upsetting to those who robbed my mum and my family.

Today, an anonymous commenter, clearly a Howitt & Begley supporter, maybe even one of their number, accuses me of all sorts just because I exposed what Mr Howitt Mr Hall and Mrs Begley did to my mum.

Supporters of Howitt & Begley say what they like - but the documents tell the real story - it was all about taking my mums money for themselves and bullying her into giving them it.

It must be upsetting to those who tried to take all my mother's money for themselves to see it laid out in public with all the evidence, which came from my mother's own lawyer Mr Nigel Hall of Haddon & Turnbull Hawick.

Checking out the backgrounds of these people seem to show they have plenty to hide and no wonder they are upset about the publicity. Plenty more to be published yet.

It's a pity the Police didn't do more on this at the time, but as you all know, my mother's lawyer withheld the documents until after her death ... probably because his firm was doing a lot of business with Mr Howitt's firm, and of course Mr Hall didn't want to be caught up in a case where he himself allowed much of my mother's money to be taken by an exploiting relative. Mr Howitt of course, did go to the Police to try and cover up the fact he stuffed the money for my dad's car into his company's bank accounts, while selling it to a personal friend ... The Police didn't fall for that one though but that case and falise report by Mr Howitt to try and cover his tracks is a matter of record.

How sad Mrs Begley Mr Howitt and Mr Hall left my mum in a state of despair and depression after doing this to her, while everyone just sat back and tried to cover it up. I will always remember my mum talking about how Mrs Begley's own mum, May Young, was locked up in Queen Mary's Buildings in a small flat, driven to depression and eventual suicide over the way she was treated by her own family. My mum always said she felt they were trying to do the same to her, taking her money and hoping she would die.

There might not be much I can do about it now sadly, but at least people can learn from what happened, and clearly see from the documents what was a disgraceful attempt to take everything my mum had.

A police detective who befriended an elderly widow bought her home at a reduced price and plundered her assets, a court has heard.

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Salkeld, of Sussex Police, was granted power of attorney over Eileen Savage’s finances. He bought her house, which was worth £105,000, in May 1997 for £55,000.

The house was sold two years later for £157,200, Maidstone Crown Court heard. David Walbank, prosecuting, said the Crown was not suggesting that Mrs Savage, now aged 93 and living in a care home in Hove, East Sussex, was mentally incapable at the time.

He told the jury: “She may not have understood the extent to which the price he paid represented an undervalue.

“What is clear, however, is that she was at that time deceived as to the defendant’s true intentions in relation to her and her finances.

“If she had known that within a few years she would be penniless and all but abandoned, it is inconceivable that she would have transferred her home in that way.”

Mr Walbank said that Salkeld stripped Mrs Savage’s assets between May 1997 when he was handed power of attorney over her assets at the Portman Building Society and January 2001.

Mr Walbank added: “By January 2001, her capital assets had been largely depleted.

“She no longer owned a property. The credit balance left in her Portman Building Society account had been transferred to her HSBC account.

“And the HSBC account had a small cash reserve of just over £11,000. But the defendant did not stop there.”

Salkeld is alleged to have used Mrs Savage’s HSBC bank card and PIN to make five cash withdrawals in March and April 2001 totalling £600.

The withdrawals continued right up until Salkeld’s arrest in January 2006, the last being seven days before his arrest, Mr Walbank said.

It was also alleged that in August 2001 Salkeld duped Brighton and Hove City Council into paying Mrs Savage’s care costs by claiming that she had not owned a property for the last 15 years, despite having sold it himself.

“He acted for his own selfish reasons, trying to avoid Mrs Savage’s capital assets from being depleted in paying for her care, but instead remained available for him to plunder.”

The court also heard that Salkeld allegedly used the police force’s company credit card to buy goods for his own use. He is also accused of deceiving his employer by claiming a grant from the Sussex Police Welfare Fund for £1,100 to buy caravanning equipment.

Salkeld, of Shoreham, West Sussex, denies 19 charges of theft, obtaining property by deception and obtaining a money transfer by deception between May 1997 and September 2005.

The case continues.

Remarkably common as I say - here’s another article from the Daily Record this time … details very similar yet again ….

A FRAIL widow with dementia signed over control of her £1million fortune to her priest.

Catherine MacNeil, 85, gave a £120,000 house to Father Mustaq Azad, and he took control of the affairs of her disabled son.

Fr Azad flew to his native Pakistan after police were called in to investigate the affair. His superiors in the Catholic Church had told him repeatedly to give up his involvement in Catherine’s finances.

Catherine’s angry niece, Morag O’Halloran, 45, of Irvine, Ayrshire, said last night: “This has been an absolute disgrace. A priest is in a position of trust.

“Anybody knows an 85-year-old with dementia is not in the frame of mind to make huge decisions, like handing over her home and rights to a man she hardly knows.

“My aunt signed her life over to him. And until the authorities got involved, he had control of her finances, around £1million.”

Catherine, of Campbeltown, Argyll, was a regular worshipper at Fr Azad’s church, St Kieran’s, in the town.

She spent much of her spare time there, helping at bake sales and organising events.

Catherine met Fr Azad three years ago, when he took over the parish after arriving in Scotland as a missionary from Pakistan.

The pair became friends and he began to visit her frequently at home.

Catherine had a massive stroke in February 2004 and dementia set in soon after.

Morag said: “It was tragic. She has never been the same.

“She had always been fiercely independent. She had been a district nurse and she dedicated her life to looking after her son.”

Social services began helping to look after Catherine and her son Ian, 49, who has a rare genetic disorder which causes learning difficulties.

Then, in March 2005, Catherine gave Fr Azad power of attorney to handle her financial affairs. Seven months later, the priest took on the same responsibility for Ian.

Fr Azad did not tell Morag about his role in her aunt and cousin’s lives.

Catherine gifted the priest her second home, a £120,000 cottage on the Hebridean island of Barra. And six weeks later, according to Morag, he put the house up for sale.

Morag said: “It has remained on the market for more than a year because the people of Barra are aware of the situation. Nobody wants to hand over cash for the house.”

Catherine is now back in hospital after suffering a second stroke. And Morag claimed that Ian, who needs constant care, was left to “fend for himself” as his mum’s condition worsened.

She said: “We discovered he’d been left without his medication for 10 days and had been cooking himself fish fingers every night in the deep fat fryer.

“He was terribly frightened and in an awful state. He phoned and told me his house was going to be taken away and that he would be homeless.

“Then we found a letter from the council saying Ian was on a list for housing.

“Catherine has enough savings for her and Ian to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. There’s no mortgage on the house in Campbeltown and no reason for Ian to be given council housing.

“We’ve now taken Ian to live with us. We will fight tooth and nail to protect him and his interests.”

In October 2006, social workers told Catherine’s family she needed to be moved to a nursing home.

Morag wanted to place her in a home in Saltcoats, a few miles from Irvine, so she and Ian could visit her.

But as she tried to make the arrangements, she found out that Fr Azad had power of attorney.

Morag said: “We were absolutely shocked. Fr Azad never mentioned it. He had kept us in the dark. We couldn’t believe my aunt would have given him control of her life. She hardly really knew him.

“We spoke to Ian, who said he had found cheque books that belonged to his mum with Fr Azad’s name on.

“He had been suspicious and hidden them, although he was too frightened to say anything.”

Fr Azad refused Morag’s request to move Catherine to Saltcoats.

He also failed to hand over the old lady’s financial records and legal documents to social services. In a bid to force the priest to co-operate, social workers called in police.

A police investigation began. And at a meeting on December 29, Fr Azad offered to resign his power of attorney over Catherine’s affairs.

The Bishop of Argyll, Ian Murray, also intervened, demanding that Fr Azad hand over responsibility to Catherine’s family.

Fr Azad was traced in Pakistan, where he is on leave, on Monday of this week. He agreed to hand over his power of attorney for Catherine, and Mora g immediately began moves to have the old lady placed in Saltcoats.

Morag said: “It is unbelievable that social services were forced to call the police to make a priest help an old woman.

“It is beyond belief. Who knows what he was thinking? She is a very wealthy woman and he knows it.”

She added: “Catherine will be given 24-hour care and is in safe hands. In the hospital she has fallen so many times and doesn’t have the care she needs. They don’t have the staff and they need the bed back.

“We are delighted Catherine will now be in a home where she can see Ian every day. She was pining for him.”

Catherine’s family now plan to force the priest to hand over his power of attorney for Ian.

Morag said: “Ian has a lawyer to fight his case for him.”

A spokesman for the Catholic Church said last night: “We do not condone Fr Azad’s actions. He was told repeatedly that he should give up and hand over the power of attorney.”

A church source added: “Fr Azad was advised from the start not to accept the power of attorney or ownership of the house.

“He was told repeatedly to hand the post back. The Bishop last told him at the beginning of January and expected it to be done immediately.

“It’s a very remote parish and nobody was aware of everything that was going on.”

Robert Hynd, a lawyer acting for Catherine’s relatives, said: “We have finally received documents from Fr Azad and he has agreed to hand over the power of attorney to Catherine’s family and allow her to be moved to a nursing home.”

James McEwan, of the law firm representing Fr Azad, said: “Mrs MacNeil gave the house in Barra to him as a gift. I know she took financial advice.

“She asked Fr Azad to take on power of attorney in case he required assistance to speak on her behalf. He has now handed back power of attorney.”

Police said: “Inquiries were carried out but this is not a criminal matter.” Argyll and Bute Council refused to comment.

‘This has been an absolute disgrace. A priest is in a position of trust. My aunt signed her life over’

No and I don't think theres much of a will on their part to do anything either.

Just try reporting a bent accountant or a crooked lawyer to the Crown Office or Police and see how far you get ...

Anyway, to those who commented today after my earlier comments on the anonymous poster, I cant publish your comments even though they are in support of me.

If someone feels strongly enough about something to do something, don't tell me about it and don't bother emailing me either because I don't want to know.

Stick to the evidence and the documents folks - learn from it and don't let it happen to your nearest & dearest. If I and the rest of my mum's family had known about it at the time, we would have done something about it to stop all the money draining away - I can assure you all of that.

Since everything has been said on this article which could be said, it is now closed for comment.

Hmmm I remember Susan Begley (real name Young) in Jedburgh.She was a lonely crazy girl who was always worried she would suffer the same problems as what happened to her mother who was found dead in the river.Looks like she treated her aunt the same who died too.

Anyone remember how they got 168 Bongate ? It used to belong to May's old mother but Susan's dad threw her out and then threw May out after Susan'e wee brother Bertie died of meningitis.Hes buried in the cemetery next to the castle jail in Jed.God so many secrets to tell about all that and plenty folk believed May didn't kill herself too even some of the cops at the time thought something was up because it was left to Mays mum and sisters to report her missing.No one else did according to the cops own records.

Fred & Alice used to have 168 Bongate until May got married to Robert YoungMy parents used to live near to them and they were lovely peopleFred took a stroke and died at his house.Alice lived on there with the family and stayed there as all the daughters got marriedAlice had to leave her own house because Robert Young hated her guts and then he took it in the divorce (must be the first time a husband gets the house ever) and May died after a suicideSusan lived there with her dad for years and never spoke to anyone in Jed or her mums familyNasty stuff but may as well tell the whole lot I supposeWhat she did to your mum was just terrible but maybe just the same as her dad did to her mumMaybe she just hated her mums family so much she wants to destroy you all

Susan's mum did kill herself after an unhappy marriage to her dad - she is buried in the Castlegate Cemetery.Susan's brother Bertie who died a small kid is also buried near his mum.The house at 168 Bongate was a council house but May's family had it first.Susan's dad definitely did get it and threw Susan's mum out on the street along with Susan's granny who was also a widow.Susan did take the money from Mrs Cherbi - someone I wont name told me the whole story and all the crap her and Jim Begley were spreading to cover what they did to her but until Peter's mum got her money,Susan had nothing to do with her so it was only for the money.Howitt is a shit.He was Peter's dad's accountant and tried to change his dad's will at the last minute to cut everyone out of it.One of the cops who attended the house when Peter's dad died says so and a girl who used to work as a secretary at a lawyers remembers Howitt flashing a list of notes to change the will he made himself.Howitt was after the money too.This is all about money and Susan telling a lot of lies to get it. If you dont believe me go up to the bloody cemetery and see for yourselfs and ask why Susans mum had to kill herself - because she had a shit family of a husband and daughter thats why and they didn't give a damn about her after they took the house.Poor Peter having to fight these cunts and get hounded by them just so they could cover up what they did to his mum. Their mistake was not telling the people they lied to how they were stealing Peters mums money.Now those people see these papers and realise they were after the money all along.

really disgusting to read this story after all Susan has said around the borders about you just to cover this upNorman howitt is an accountant and said very bad things about you too and all this but he didnt tell anyone about what he wanted to do wiuth your mums money and how susan was getting it all for herselfYou should report it all to the police for what they did to your mum and how they hounded you all this time with their lies and let it all out for everyone to see and tell what happened to her own family and all the secrets they must have too they dont want coming out

1 of Susan's ex friends told the lot to my wife about this.She said she was almost about to phone the cops at the time because she thought Susan was holding your mum hostage until she signed those letters to give her all her money.If I had known about it I would have called them myself.Poor old Barbara going through all this over Susan wanting all her money.SICK oh and all that stuff about them i saw is true because my own mother remembers what happened to May.Drag it all up and shame them after what she has all said about you.Plenty dont like Susan over this and other stuff she did so you got plenty support

Disgusting little creep this accountant and your mothers relatives should be charged over what happened.They all set out to coerce her into handing over the money and I have never ever seen anyone hand over 16 grand as a gift in my life.

I posted this comment on your latest posting of today (November 19th 2008) which seems to show Mr Howitt received a much more soft touch than Mr Macphail:

http://www.icas.org.uk/site/cms/contentviewarticle.asp?article=5865

Disciplinary action re Gordon A Macphail CA

Mr Gordon A Macphail CA, has admitted liability to disciplinary action in respect of the following:-

That he is guilty of professional misconduct in terms of Rule 58(1)(a) of the Institute’s Rules in respect of his handling of the estate following the death of a client in November 2005 for whom he acted as Financial Guardian. The Committee has issued a reprimand to Mr Macphail in terms of Rule 67(2)(b), which he has accepted, relating to a number of departures from the standards expected of a Financial Guardian and, in particular, his failure to seek the early discharge of his position as Financial Guardian from the Office of the Public Guardian; and to co-operate with the Executor of the late client to ensure the timely and proper administration of the estate.

In terms of Rule 67(2)(b) of the Institute, the Investigation and Professional Conduct Enforcement Committee have also ordered Mr Macphail to pay a financial penalty to the Institute.

similar story here so I'd say the Proceeds of Crime act should be used against your mothers relatives, the lawyer and Howitt :http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/8063591.stm

Advice bureau theft couple jailed

A couple have each been jailed for six years after being found guilty of stealing around £575,000 from a Citizens' Advice Bureau (CAB) office.

Dale and Sally Foster, from Swansea, were accused of stealing from the branch in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire.

They were convicted of eight charges of theft and Mrs Foster was found guilty of false accounting.

Judge Gerald Price QC said: "The brazen nature of your offending is startling, devious and dishonest in the extreme."

The CAB after the verdicts called it "despicable betrayal of trust".

It was revealed after the verdicts that Dale Foster had convictions for fraud and embezzlement.

He and his wife had access to funding after their small office won a Wales-wide CAB contract.

Sally Foster, 51, and her husband, 65, were yesterday cleared of two charges of theft at Swansea Crown Court.

The Fosters abused their position to mount a calculated and systematic campaign of fraud and deception that deprived some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable peopleCAB chief executive David Harker

Charity couple's champagne lifestyle

Dale Foster was also cleared of five charges of false accounting.

They were convicted of eight charges of theft yesterday and the jury returned the rest of their verdicts after further deliberations on Friday morning.

The couple were accused of stealing the money to fund a champagne lifestyle of luxury breaks and shopping trips to Harrods and Harvey Nichols.

A no expenses-spared ski holiday to the Canadian resort of Whistler, costing £17,000, came during a three-month spending spree at the end of 2003 when the couple went through £56,000, without including the skiing holiday.

Judge Price asked Sally Foster's barrister, Rupert Mayo, if any of the money could be recovered. He replied, "No, it's all gone."

The judge said a police investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act would settle the matter.

Search This Blog

Contact the Diary

Have a tip or a story about a lawyer, a judge, the legal profession, Judiciary, Crown Office, a Court case, issues of Justice or Injustice, information on corruption in public bodies, politics & Government?

Crown Corrupt - Prosecutors criminal convictions revealed

Exclusive Report: Documents obtained by the Scottish Sun newspaper reveal Prosecutors based at Scotland’s Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) have been charged with a string of criminal offences over crimes ranging from violence to misuse of drugs, making threats and offences against Police Officers.

Crown Office Jet Set Prosecutors air travel junkets revealed

Exclusive Report: Prosecutors based in Edinburgh at the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) - are now spending as much time in the air jetting between international destinations than chasing some of Scotland’s biggest crooks, tax dodgers, gangsters & serial offenders.

Documents obtained by the Scottish Sun newspaper show Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland and his team of staff jetting off to 39 international destinations including Hong Kong, Mauritius, Taiwan South Africa, Australia, Malta, San Francisco, and New York – all visited by Crown Office employees on taxpayer funded air junkets. Read more here: CRIME FLIES: Crown Office jet set junket racket

The proposals, backed by cross party MSPs during a debate in the Parliament’s main chamber on 9 October 2014 - Debating the Judges - call for the creation of a publicly available register of judicial interests containing information on judges backgrounds, their personal wealth, undeclared earnings, business & family connections inside & outside of the legal profession, offshore investments, hospitality, details on recusals and other information routinely lodged in registers of interest across all walks of public life in the UK and around the world.

UK consumers want independent regulation of lawyers

Media Report: RESEARCH conducted by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) – the body charged with investigating solicitors in England & Wales, shows there is strong support in the rest of the UK for a move to make the SRA fully independent of the Law Society of England & Wales.

Law & Disorder - Law Society self regulation protects solicitors

Crime Society: The powerful Law Society of Scotland – the lawyer’s trade union body which controls self regulation of Scottish solicitors – is facing calls to be stripped of any role in regulating the legal profession.

The Scottish Sun’s The Big Read: Law and disorder reports: CRITICS are calling for an end to the secretive “old boys’ club” which sees Scots lawyers police themselves. It took the Law Society of Scotland four years to give police details of its probe into an alleged mortgage fraud linked to solicitor Christopher Hales and MP Michelle Thomson. But legal experts insist this would not have happened if we had the same system of outside supervision that operates down south.

A new Lord President: Selecting a top judge for Scotland

The position of Lord President – with a salary of £220,655 a year, including perks, international travel and unrivalled power to challenge even the Scottish Parliament - is responsible for leadership of the entire Scottish judiciary in addition to chairing the Board of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service. The Lord President is the most senior judge in Scotland, with authority over any court established under Scots law, apart from the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

In response to questions from MSPs, JCR Gillian Thompson said: “I do not see that there is a reasonable argument to be made against people who are in public service—I might go further and say, in particular, people who are paid by the public pound—providing information, within reason, about their other activities.” Facing further detailed questions from the committee, JCR Gillian Thompson remained of the view judges should declare their interests including business activities, shareholdings and more – in a publicly available register of judicial interests.

Scotland's first Judicial Complaints Reviewer supports creating a register of interests for judges

The top judge came unstuck after he opposed the declaration of judicial interests, wealth & connections to big business. Prior to retirement, Gill waged a bitter two year battle with Scottish Parliament MSPs who are investigating proposals to create a register of judicial interests.

Wolffe Hall: Parliament House land titles lost to Faculty of Advocates

Media Report: Aninvestigation has revealedParliament House – the seat of power for Scotland’s judiciary and the nation’s highest, most expensive, elusive and pro-big business courts – has been lost to Edinburgh City Council after it was revealed Scottish Ministers gifted the land titles to the Faculty of Advocates after a £58m public funded refit of the sprawling court complex. Media attention to the land grab and questions in the Scottish Parliament have prompted Edinburgh City Council to demand the courts be returned to public ownership.

In a speech to the Commonwealth Law Conference 2015 in Glasgow, Lord Gill went on to joke about protesters being lucky they are not dragged away by Police. Gill took further shots at politics, judicial independence and democracy before fleeing the legal gathering with Lord Neuberger and other judges after they learned Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was booked to speak at the event.

Revealed: The bank of Scottish Legal Aid

Revealed: TIMES ARE TOUGH but not for Scotland’s legal profession as it was revealed the Scottish Legal Aid Board handed over more than One Billion Pounds of public money to lawyers since the 2008 financial market crash. The Billion pound Bank of Scottish Legal Aid is there to help out Scotland’s ‘struggling’ lawyers looking for a second car, fishing rights, sending kids to posh private schools, or a third buy-to-let property. Scottish Legal Aid figures paid to lawyers since 2008 reveal: 2013-14 £150.5m, 2012-13 £150.2m, 2011-12 £150.7m, 2010-11 £161.4m, 2009-10 £150.5m, 2008-09 £150.2m, 2007-08 £155.1m, total: £1.06Billion (£1,068.6m)

Scottish Parliament debate urges support for register of judicial interests

Media ReportMSPs overwhelmingly support a petition urging the Scottish Government to give further consideration to a register of interests for judges. The 90 minute debate, held on Thursday 09 October 2014 in the Scottish Parliament’s main chamber saw msps criticise Scotland’s secretive judges who refuse to disclose their hidden wealth, secret links to big business and even criminal records. Read more about the proposals for judicial transparency put forward in Petition PE1458: Register of Interests for members of Scotland's judiciary and watch video clips of MSPs debating a register of interests for judges at InjusticeTV. The official report of the debate including video footage of each MSP who spoke can be found here: Debating the Judges

Revealed: Judges International travel junkets & state visits

Exclusive Report: JET-SETTING judges spent £26,000 of taxpayers' cash on overseas trips last year, a Scottish Sun on Sunday investigation can reveal. Top beaks flew out to destinations including Russia, Israel, Switzerland, Germany, France, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Qatar. The most expensive was a £5,800 trip to Canada by Scotland's second most senior judge, Lord Carloway. Lord Gill - who is the Lord President - also spent five days on a £2,800 trip to Doha, Qatar, where he gave speech on judicial ethics.

Judicial Rich-List reveals Judges financial links to crime companies

Exclusive Report: DISCLOSURES of judges personal shareholdings obtained under Freedom of Information legislation from the Scottish Court Service reveal a startling snapshot of the wealth of several key members of Scotland’s judiciary who sit on a powerful quango which controls Scotland’s courts. The declarations of the seven judicial members of the Scottish Court Service Board – including Scotland's top judge, the Lord President & Lord Justice General Brian Gill who earns £220K a year - reveal judges benefit financially from shareholdings in companies who provide services to the courts & justice system, companies convicted of criminal offences & involvement in ‘industrial’ espionage against China, banks fined for international financial market manipulation, and companies involved in bribes, bid rigging, and tax dodging.

Revealed: Top judge forced to recuse over relative in court

Exclusive Report: SCOTLAND’S top judge, the Lord President Lord Brian Gill has been forced to stand aside from hearing an unidentified case in the Court of Session because a relative who turned out to be Brian Gill jr, one of Lord Gill’s sons, represented a party involved in the court action which court officials are keeping secret.

Judge invests in bribes scandal companies

Exclusive Report: An investigation by the Scottish Sun on Sunday newspaper has revealed a top judge holds shares in a firm hit with a £13.9million proceeds-of-crime bill for bribing Saddam Hussein's regime,The Scottish Sun on Sunday can reveal. Sheriff Principal Alastair Dunlop 62, has a stake in Glasgow based Weir Group, hammered in 2011 for paying kickbacks to land contracts in Iraq. He also has shares in mining giant Rio Tinto, whose executives admitted bribery in China four years ago. A Holyrood committee is considering proposals that would require judges and sheriffs to publish their outside interests, including details of their finances, reported here: A Register of Interests for Scotland's Judiciary

Judges reveal conflicts of interest

Exclusive Report: The Sunday Mail newspaper reports Scotland's judges are coming clean when they have to step away from court cases because of a conflict of interests. Scotland’s top judge has decided that for the first time the public can see online why judges and sheriffs have stood down from hearing criminal trials and civil actions. It comes after the Sunday Mail told of MSPs' anger that the Lord President Lord Gill had dismissed calls for a judicial register of interests and snubbed invitations to discuss his position at a Holyrood committee, reported in previous coverage here: A Register of Interests for Scotland's Judiciary

Judges interests & shareholdings revealed

Exclusive Report: An investigation by the Sunday Herald newspaper reveals a senior sheriff presided over a court hearing involving Tesco at the same time as he held shares in the multi-national supermarket giant. Sheriff Principal Dunlop QC did not absent himself because having shares in a company that is party to a court action does not require a member of the judiciary to step down from a case. A Holyrood committee is considering proposals that would require judges and sheriffs to publish their outside interests, including details of their finances, reported in previous coverage here: A Register of Interests for Scotland's Judiciary

Top judge in private meeting on judicial transparency petition

Media Report: Top judge Lord Gill met petitions committee members behind closed doors to discuss Petition PE1458: Register of Interests for members of Scotland's judiciary and conflict of interests, but no minutes were taken. The Sunday Mail reports Scotland’s top judge met two MSPs in private after twice snubbing requests to give evidence in front of their committee. The judge is opposed to the transparency call and has previously refused invitations to attend the Scottish Parliament and face questions in public on his opposition to judicial transparency and the creation of a register of judicial interests. More on the debate on judge’s interests can be viewed here : A Register of Interests for Scotland's Judiciary

Small concession offered by top judge as calls grow for judicial transparency

Judges should not be above scrutiny

Media Editorial: The Sunday Herald newspaper says in an editorial Judges should not be above scrutiny. The Lord President, who is the country's top judge, is against requiring his colleagues to list their financial interests (as called for in Petition PE1458: Register of Interests for members of Scotland's judiciary) but he seems to have recognised political concerns about a lack of transparency.To this end, he is investigating the possibility of compiling a register of "recusals", which means examples of judges ceasing an interest in a court case due to a perceived conflict. More on the debate on judge’s interests can be viewed here : A Register of Interests for Scotland's Judiciary

Scotland’s top judge takes anti-transparency position on proposal for judicial interests register

Lack of judicial transparency - No justice if it cannot be seen

Media Editorial: The Sunday Mail newspaper says Senior judge's refusal to give evidence to MSPs shows a lack of transparency, says Mail Opinion on calls for judicial transparency in Petition PE1458: Register of Interests for members of Scotland's judiciary. It was an opportunity for Scotland’s top judge to go to Parliament and talk about how our legal system works and might work better. It would have added, as the public relations executives and politicians like to say, a little transparency. Instead, his refusal has only hardened the suspicion that our judges live and work in a bubble smelling of horse hair wigs, vintage port and even more vintage attitudes. More on the debate on judge’s interests can be viewed here : A Register of Interests for Scotland's Judiciary

NEWS SPECIAL: Coverage of the Annual Report 2012-2013 of Scotland’s Judicial Complaints Reviewer reveals Scottish judges are slammed for secrecy, anti-transparency views & how they investigate complaints against other judges.Moi Ali, appointed by the SNP’s Justice Secretary as Scotland’s first Judicial Complaints Reviewersaid: “I think fundamentally the problem is the legislation. “The way it’s created, it’s about self- regulation so you have judges judging judges’ conduct. There isn’t really an independent element.”. Read more HERE

REVEALED : Scotland’s Judicial Complaints Reviewer gave evidence to MSPs at the Scottish Parliament stating her office has no powers to properly investigate complaints against Scottish judges and that the judicial office regularly block access to files and information relating to complaints. In England & Wales, it is done very differently. Read more HERE

EXCLUSIVE REPORT: Scotland’s judiciary are refusing to cooperate with the independently appointed Judicial Complaints Reviewer over complaints made against Scottish judges. Scotland’s top judge also stands accused of regularly blocking independent access to key documents relating to allegations made against judges. Read more HERE

Scotland's top judge objects to Holyrood transparency call for a register of judicial interests

Exclusive Report : Scotland’s top judge Lord Gill claims judges are exempt from declaring their full financial & other interests as called for in Petition PE1458: Register of Interests for members of Scotland's judiciary A register could be created by the Scottish Parliament or by the Judicial Office for Scotland, which incorporates the Lord President’s office. Typically, such registers reveal details of hospitality, gifts, property ownership, shareholdings and personal or financial connections to outside organisations.

If you think Scotland's judges are honest, think again. An investigation reveals the true extent of their undeclared finances & interests. Read more HERE. Investigations have revealed Scotland's Judges have secret criminal records, massive wealth, unchecked influence, & murky investments along with connections to offshore tax havens, all of which go undeclared as there is no register of interests for the judiciary.

Business Interests: Are Scottish Judges overseas trips really just about law conferences?

Exclusive Report: Scotland's judges have racked up thousands of air miles on overseas trips, including jaunts to the US, India, Morocco and Malaysia. Taxpayers paid £83,644 to send judges and sheriffs and their partners around the world in the past three years revealed in this document. The Lord President also travels to Taiwan, South Africa & other countries yet refuses to travel 700m to the Scottish Parliament to face MSPs questions about judges’ secret undeclared interests.

Exclusive Report : A report published by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice reveals Scottish lawyers take home a lavish £161million in legal aid payments on a tiny client base compared to other EU countries’ lawyers. The EU REPORT also shows that Scotland disciplines a tiny number of lawyers compared to countries of similar size, and that Scotland’s sheriffs & judges top the EU pay league. A large proportion of alleged criminals reported to prosecutors in Scotland are also escaping justice while lawyers scoop up legal aid fees for dealing with cases which never make it to court.

EU Justice Report : Scots Justice System is most expensive, has poorest regulation in Europe

A MUST READ REPORT by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice reveals the Scottish justice system as the most unproductive, yet most expensive in the entire European Union. Scottish lawyers take tens of millions more in legal aid representing a population of 5 million than Italian lawyers who serve a population of 60 million. The report also reveals Scots judges are paid the highest in Europe, Scottish Sheriffs taking home an average taxpayer funded salary of £120K plus, while others in Scotland’s judiciary are paid £200K plus expenses.

The Scottish Civil Courts Review of 2009 authored by the then Lord Justice Clerk, now Lord President Lord Brian Gill, castigated Scotland’s Civil Justice System as being Victorian, costly, and unfit for purpose, yet years on from the review, little of the proposed reforms have been implemented due to pressure from vested interests in the legal world, and a lack of political will to deliver access to justice to all Scots.

The ‘independent’ lawyer run Scottish Legal Complaints Commission has lurched from scandal to scandal, and proved to be even worse at regulating complaints against Scottish solicitors than the Law Society of Scotland. Clients of Scottish solicitors who are forced to make complaints to the SLCC should read our previous reports on how the anti-client regulator may treat their case.

Exclusive Report: A Research Report from the University of Manchester School of Law, commissioned by the SLCC on the Law Society of Scotland’s two discredited client compensation schemes, the Master Insurance Policy & Scottish Solicitors Guarantee Fund reveals the extent of suicides, illness, broken families and financial ruin among clients who fall victim to rogue solicitors and attempt financial claims in order to recover funds & assets embezzled or stolen by their lawyers. The research report concludes the Law Society's Master Policy is set up “to allow solicitors to sleep at night”, so they can go on to ruin other unsuspecting clients. Read the full shocking story HERE

Name & Shame your crooked lawyer in the media

If you are making a complaint to the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC), Law Society of Scotland or Faculty of Advocates about your solicitor or legal representatives, one of the best things you can do is tell the media about it & name your crooked lawyer.

Revealed: Suspended & Bankrupt lawyers are secretly still working in Scotland

Exclusive Report: An investigation has revealed twice suspended but still working as a solicitor John G O'Donnell has impersonated a deceased lawyer as part of an elaborate fraud, while staff at the law firm he worked at said nothing to clients. The Law Society of Scotland did nothing to prevent O’Donnell continuing his reign of scams against clients even after he was twice suspended & made bankrupt. O’Donnell was only found out after one of his clients, saw his photograph in an earlier Sunday Mail newspaper investigation..

Exclusive Report: An investigation has revealed a lawyer who works for the Citizens Advice Bureau is being probed after it’s claimed he targeted vulnerable clients for a crooked legal firm. A client involved in a rent dispute turned to CAB lawyer Gilbert Anderson, who is based at Hamilton Sheriff Court on a taxpayer funded salary. But the ex-Royal Marine sent the client and a friend into the clutches of twice suspended solicitor John G O'Donnell , who does not have a practicing certificate.

BONUS CULTURE of Crown Office fails to deliver justice

An investigation reveals Scotland’s Prosecutors have been caught up in their own BONUS CULTURE where fat cash hand-outs at the end of the year worth tens of thousands of pounds and sly Press Releases short on facts seem to be more important than catching real crooks and delivering on protecting the Scots public.

One of Scotland’s most famous Crooked Lawyers, Andrew Penman of Stormonth Darling Solicitors, Kelso in the Scottish Borders. Read the MEDIA COVERAGE of the case, details which the Law Society of Scotland and several Edinburgh law firms tried to bury.

If you have a similar experience with Stormonth Darling Solicitors, or any other corrupt law firm, we want to hear about it at scottishlawreporters@gmail.com